Refrigerating mechanism



Sept;4 17, 1946.

G. MUFFLY REFRIGERATING-MEGHANISM y original Filed Nov. 8,- 1933 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Traum/556.

sept.17,1946; GgMUFFL'Y 2,407,2@4

' REFRIGERATING MECHANISM y Original Filed Nov. 8, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Sept. 17, 1946 REFRIGERATING MECIIANISM Glenn Muiy, Springfield, Ohio Original application November 8, 1933, Serial No. 697,124. Divided and this application January 23, 1939, Serial No. 252,291

2Claims. 1

The invention relates to mechanical refrigeration, and this application is a division of the one which matured into U. S. Patent No. 2,145,773

January 31, 1939.

An important object of this invention is to provide 1 for control of refrigeration systems wherein certain heat exchange elements are required to act sometimes to absorb heat and sometimes to give 01T heat.

A further` object is to improve and simplifythe means for controlling now of refrigerant liquid in suchsystems. i n

The above being among the objects of the present invention, the same consists in certain novel features of construction, combinations of parts and steps of operation that will hereinafter be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, and` then claimed, -having the above and other objects in view.

In the accompanying drawings which illustrate suitable embodiments of the present invention and in which like numerals refer to like parts throughout the several different views,

. Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic view of a refrigerator system embodying the invention and showing the reversing valve in section for clearnessu of illustration,-

v- Fig. 2 illustrates an alternative means for operating a valve mechanism equivalent to that shown in Fig. 1, u

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional View through a refrigerator cabinet in which parts of the refrigerating system are mounted, u

Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional View of the portion of Fig. 3 enclosed by the circle 4, and

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary, diagrammatic view showing a modified form of control.

The apparatus embodying the present invention is shownin connection with ice makers for purpose of illustration. Referring rst to Fig. 3, a refrigerator cabinet is indicated generally at 88 cause at least a portion of the water from the tank 86, -which fills them to be frozen. Such means may comprise an evaporating unit V94 which is supported by hangers 88. The evaporator 94 is made out of two sheets of metal 98 and Ill having downwardly tapered openings |02 in which cups 92 seat and the sheets `98 and |08 are suitably formed and secured as by welding to form an annular chamber l of material depth around each of the openings H32. Between the chambers I4the sheets 98 and |80 are formed to provide passages Hi8 which connect the chambers in series.

Actually the cups 92 are arranged in two series and, as indicated in Figs. 1 and 5, the chambers 184 for the cups 92 are likewise arranged in two series and indicated in the gures referred to, as 22 `and 26, respectively.` The series 22 and 26 are connected together at one end by a flow restricting device, here shown more or less diagrammatically as a capillary tube 24. The opposite ends of the series 22 and 26 are connected by tubes 20 and 28, respectively, to a valve I8, which will hereinafter be fully described. These tubes serve in one position of the Valve I8 to connect the corresponding end of the series' 22 with the condenser I6 and the corresponding end of the series 2B with the suction side of the compressor I2, and in the'opposite position of the valve to reverse this connection. Thus, the capillary tube 24 serves alternately to control the eX- pansion of the refrigerant iirst from one of the series 22 or 26 into the other, and then .to control its expansion in the opposite direction.

Any type of refrigerating mechanism having suitable cyclic Voperation may be adapted for use and as having wall sections including the top 82 are two parallel rowsV 0f downwardly projecting f cups 92.

Means are provided to refrigerate at least a portion of the surface ofA the cups 92 so as to in connection with the present invention. The particular mechanism shown more or less diagrammatically at l, Fig. 1, includes a compressor I2 driven by a suitable electric motor I4 and discharging refrigerant therefrom to a condenser I6 from which it is conveyed to the reversing valve I8, which, in the position shown, discharges liquid refrigerant therefrom into the tube 28. The refrigerant, after having passed through the series 22 of heat exchanger passages i4 and |86, ows through the capillary tube 24 and thencethrough the series 28 of the heat exchanger passages. In the latter passages the refrigerant is gasied and then returns through the tube 28, valve I8, and tube 3U to the suction side of the compressori 2.

Any suitable or conventional type of control mechanism may be provided for controlling the operation of the motor I4. 'I'he particular con- ,Y trol indicated `diagrammatically is of the thermoy parts in position for refrigerant flow as indicated* by the solid arrows. The liquid refrigerant enters the valve through tube 52, passes through valve port Affi, and thence through tube -20- to the Y' upper series 22 of the heat-exchanger chambers Y Hifi, which is at the momentinthe heat-dissipatlf The liquid refrigerant;

ing `portion'of the cycle.

nowv passes through the capillary tube 24,. whichV retards its flow enough to cause evaporationin the lower series 2B of the heat-exchanger chambers led- The vapor then goes. through the tube 23, the Valve port 46, and the tube 30 to the eon-A densing unit l'.

This assembly includes two temperature responsive controlelements, in the form shown in. Fig. l, as special ice cups 45 and 50- which may be attached to and open into the waterv tank 86, and around the cups 4B and 5o are coils 23 and 2l, respectively. Coil 23 is connected with` the re` frigerant passagethat'serves the upper series 22 of the heat-exchangerchambers IM, while thek coil isconnected in the circuit'for the lower series 26. v n i f f Thel cups @il and 5e are relatively deep and small in diameter, withfeach coil 23V and 2l' ar-V ranged'tocause, during its active period of re-` frigerationfreezing in the upperpart of the cor-- responding cup first. Thus, while rings of ice are forming in the set of cups 92 served by series 25 frigerant already in series 22 of the heat eX- changer chambers |64 and around cup 48 is now free to evaporate and pass through tube B6 and port S2 to the suction tube 30, thus starting the refrigeration of the cups 92 in the series 22, and cup 118, which is continued with refrigerant which passes throughthe capillary tube The result is the melting free of' the ice in cups S2. served by series 26 of the heat-exchanger chambers HB4, and ofice in cup B, and a drop of pressure inthe tube 68 and chamber l0, while ice is being Vformed in cups Q2 served by series 22, and in cup 48, preparatory to the next reversal` ofV the valve mechanism, which will bring the operation. backk to the starting point of this description.. Theice 5I in cup 5!) will free itself and Yfloat upwardly out of the cup like the other Y ice, or will remain in the cup and melt enough The tube 3l) may include an additional-wapo# rator 3| for the' purpose of cooling cabinet air,

in which case no damage will result from? a slight of theheat-exchanger chambers IM, the ring of sition 52', pushing the valve stern 55 and Vits valves 56 and 58- alongtheir common axis until 'the valve 5E closes the port 4S and the valve 5S closes the port ed. At the same time, the stem 5t engaging the diaphragm {il}` will cause it to snap into position Eli. It will be seen that the high pressure of liquid refrigerant acting upon diaphragm of!! has been urging it in vthisl direction constantly before this movement occurred, but the diaphragms are so designed that they will not snap into reversed position under the highest possible pressure of the liquid refrigerant. The higher pressure of the expanding ice is, however,l ample to snap both of the diaphragms and to move the valve 58 against the pressure of the liquid refrigerant, aided by the liquid pressure that is already exerted upon diaphragm 60.

This movement of the valve stem and its valves has now opened the ports 62 and 64, simultaneously closing ports M and 46, which provides new paths for both liquid andl gaseous refrigerant, as

' ant now iiows in a reversed direction. The releakage of the valves whichA might allow refrig erant to. short-circuit and pass from tube` 42 VlAs an alternative arrangement, tubes] 68fV and 'l2 can be crossed and providedwithbulbs 6-9 and 13 which contact tubes 20 and-2B 'respectively-as shown in Fig. 5. Bulbs 69 and 13 are Huidtig-ht and illled with carboni-dioxide orothevey--volatile duidwhichthen` operates the diaphragmsand 68V torefect operation or the valve I8 in the same gene-ralmannerasl inlthe Vfirstv dscri-bed construction.Y Y i i Y f The valve mechanism ofl'ig. Lmayoptionally be actuated by other means, such as a-controlledy electrical circuit supplied through conduetors isV andi is of Fig. 2- tornei vai-ve 'meehanism i3. In eitherr g-ure,b liquid refrigerant received through the tube 42 is deliveredfthrough the tube 2e while suction'vaporreceived through the tube 28v is delivered-'through the tube` 30, as indicated by solid arrows. Then, when thevalve mechanism is reversed,l liquid refrigerant received throughthe tube- 42; is delivered through the tube 28, and suctionA vapor received through the tube 2U is delivered through the tubeg30.A

FromI the foregoingit will bereadily'V apparent that when the cups 92 associated with either'fthe series 22 or 26 are subjectedto refrigerati-ng@- fect, the waterin such cups will-befrozen' over the area of contact between such? cups and the evaporator 94. VSuch water frozen in the` cups will build up as a ring'ofice` m8-, vandfsl-iould the refrigerating effect: exist for a suicieritlylong time, it will be apparent that the ring L08 will eventually become a disk. Preferably, however; the relative size of. the chambers IM and'ltlie diameters of the cups`are so proportioned? that the ring Hi8 will notbuild up into. a completedisk during the active period of one. cycleof operation of` the refrigerating unit for one series of cups.

When the; valve mechanism I-8 ori-8 is actuated to discontinue. the active period ofrefrigeration of one series ofv cups- 92v and begin acti-ve refrigerationof the other series of' cups; warm ref frigerant will be circulated through-,the chambers YHill associated'v with thatseri-es of cups 92 in which ice has just previously been frozen and activerefrigeration of which. has nourr been stopped, thuswarming thi-elast series of: cups and releasing the ice therein to float free and upwardly in the Water in tank 86. Thus, the last mentioned series of cups is conditioned to freeze a new batch of ice as soon as the valve I8 is again reversed.

What is claimed is:

1. In a refrigerating system, a pair of heat exchangers, means including a capillary passage connecting said heat exchanger in series, said capillary passage acting as a refrigerant ovv controlling means, and means for causing refrigerant to reverse its direction of flow through said heat exchangers and capillary passage.

2. In a refrigerating system, a pair of heat exchangers, means including a capillary passage of small cross section and considerable length connecting said heat exchangers in series, said capillary passage acting as a refrigerant flow controlling means, and means for causing refrigerant to reverse its direction of flow through said heat exchangers and capillary passage in response to energy resulting from a thermal effect 10 associated With one of said heat exchangers.

GLENN MUFFLY. 

